During a catastrophic event people rely on TV, radio and other forms or “media” related devices for immediate information on all aspects of the event. This includes the locations, people involved, responding agencies and victims. With this the average system has no “immediate” flow of information of the event to the individual person, employee or management in a controlled environment in the vicinity of the event. However, timely response in emergency situations depends on accurate and up-to-date information about the emergency situation itself, affected persons, and their state. Prompt acquisition and exchange of such data can be essential in such situations. Audiovisual surveillance systems may require thorough analysis for detecting all affected persons. Additionally, deployment of surveillance systems is associated with high investments and, generally, negatively perceived by the public. Historically, state, local, and federal agencies use systems based on radio communications (to include mobile data terminals (MDTs) in emergency response vehicles). They rely on witnesses on scene to provide “approximate data” for correlation to the event that has just occurred.
Moreover, conventional systems cannot provide personalized information and guidelines to individuals affected by an emergency situation or request and receive information related to the emergency situation from the individuals.